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The CrossingThrough Nabiac

First Day Of Spring

The Pacific Highway gave me wide verges, spring flowers and a constant drone of traffic. Audiobooks helped me through another long day as Coffs Harbour and Brisbane moved into a proper countdown.

Date1 September 2015
Journey dayDay 109
View Day 109 on the map
Pale purple and white wildflowers beside the Pacific Highway on the first day of spring.
The first day of spring came with wildflowers beside the Pacific Highway.

Spring started in the dark at Boolambayte.

The Pacific Highway was proving to be a good road to walk. The verges were wide, the surfaces were good, and I could make steady progress with a decent amount of space between me and the traffic.

The downside was the noise. The constant drone had pushed me towards listening to audiobooks and music while I walked. It seemed to be working.

Daylight brought open country, waterways around Coolongolook, and spring flowers beside the highway. Later I passed through Nabiac, with a sign pointing towards the motorcycle museum, the war memorial, and a few town streets before I was back beside the traffic.

Apple Maps said I had moved 56.8 kilometres closer to Brisbane. The five walking sessions recorded 59.1 kilometres in total. That made more than 110 kilometres in two days, with Coffs Harbour now 226 kilometres away.

There was already something waiting for us there. Bec had invited us to park on her property, share a barbecue on Saturday night, and have a mini break around the Coffs Harbour Running Festival on Sunday.

Nic and Karen, better known online as Running GIRL and The Chocoholic Runner, were coming down from Brisbane for the event. I was looking forward to catching up with them and boring them with stories about walking across the country hehe.

I finished at the truck parking area near Kiwarrak. We spent the night a few kilometres further north at Twilight Caravan Park in Glenthorne.

The calendar had finally turned to September. Brisbane was just over a fortnight away, and I had definitely got a bit of “finish line fever”. I was counting down the kilometres and feeling the excitement grow a little each day.

Coffs: Saturday and Sunday.

Lismore: next Thursday.

Brisbane: the Thursday after that.

South Bank parkrun: two days later.

Images From The Day

The Pacific Highway in the early light north of Boolambayte.
The first session began in darkness at Boolambayte.
Early morning light beneath a Pacific Highway overpass.
Early light beneath one of the highway overpasses.
Bright pink wildflowers beside the highway on Day 109.
Spring had arrived beside the highway as well as on the calendar.
A tree-lined waterway crossed on the route north through New South Wales.
One of the waterways crossed on the way north.
Road sign pointing toward Nabiac and the National Motorcycle Museum.
Nabiac and the motorcycle museum appeared on the afternoon route.
The war memorial in Nabiac beneath a clear blue sky.
A brief look at Nabiac included its war memorial.
A colourful roadside mural north of Nabiac.
A colourful roadside discovery north of Nabiac.
Gary smiling in his high-visibility vest and yellow beanie beside the Pacific Highway late in the day.
Still moving as the light began to fade near Kiwarrak.

View the full day gallery